DuckDuckGo says it is experiencing a major spike in users following Google’s recent announcement that artificial intelligence will become deeply integrated into its search engine experience.
The privacy-focused search company reported significant increases in app downloads and traffic after Google unveiled sweeping AI-driven search changes during its annual I/O developer conference.
According to DuckDuckGo, American app installs rose an average of 18.1 percent week-over-week between May 20 and May 25 compared to the previous week. Growth reportedly accelerated for six straight days and peaked at more than 30 percent on May 25.
The trend was even more pronounced among iPhone users, where week-over-week installation growth averaged 33 percent and briefly surged nearly 70 percent at its peak.
The increase appears directly tied to growing backlash against Google’s aggressive rollout of AI-powered search features, which many users fear will fundamentally alter how the internet functions.
Google’s new search overhaul includes conversational AI responses, follow-up question functionality, AI-generated summaries, enhanced automated suggestions and so-called “information agents” allegedly capable of continuously monitoring the web on users’ behalf.
Critics argue the changes risk turning traditional web search into an AI-mediated experience where users increasingly receive synthesized answers instead of being able to navigate websites themselves.
Others have raised concerns about factual inaccuracies, ideological bias and the broader impact on the open internet ecosystem as AI-generated summaries potentially reduce traffic to publishers and independent websites.
Some users have also complained the new system overcomplicates basic search tasks that previously required only simple keyword searches.
DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg directly addressed the growing frustration in a statement Tuesday.
“Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out,” Weinberg said. “As a result, their results are getting worse, not better.”
“We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want,” he added.
DuckDuckGo has attempted to differentiate itself from Google for years by emphasizing user privacy, minimal tracking and greater control over search experiences.
Despite strong brand recognition among privacy-conscious users, the company has historically struggled to capture significant market share, accounting for roughly two percent of the American search market.
The company also reported growing traffic to its “AI-free” search page, noai.duckduckgo.com, which disables AI-generated summaries, AI answers and AI-generated images entirely.
According to DuckDuckGo, visits to that page increased an average of 22.7 percent week-over-week and peaked near 28 percent on May 24.
The company said the user migration was particularly noticeable in the United States and even continued through Memorial Day weekend, when search traffic typically declines.
The debate reflects growing public anxiety surrounding the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into everyday experiences, both online and in real life.
While tech companies portray AI as a revolutionary convenience tool, critics increasingly worry consumers are losing control over how information is filtered, summarized and prioritized.
Those concerns have been amplified by repeated controversies involving AI-generated misinformation and political bias in large language models.
Author Wynton Hall found that Google’s Gemini AI categorized several Republican politicians as engaging in “hate speech” or harmful rhetoric based on positions involving immigration, transgender issues and cultural debates.
Among those reportedly flagged were Vice President JD Vance, Sens. Tom Cotton and Marsha Blackburn.
The allegations are likely to intensify concerns that major AI systems are embedding ideological assumptions into supposedly neutral technological tools.
Google has repeatedly defended its AI systems while acknowledging that large language models can occasionally generate inaccurate, biased or problematic outputs.
DuckDuckGo itself has not abandoned AI entirely.
The company still offers optional AI-assisted features, including Search Assist and AI image filtering tools, but emphasizes that users can disable them.
DuckDuckGo communications chief Kamyl Bazbaz said the company’s experience suggests consumers primarily want flexibility and control rather than mandatory AI integration.
“People just want a choice,” Bazbaz said.
The battle between Google and DuckDuckGo reflects a broader struggle over the future of the internet itself — whether search remains a relatively open gateway to the web or evolves into an AI-curated experience controlled by a handful of major technology companies.
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